Blackest Night: Black Lantern Corps Vol. 2

2 Responses to “Blackest Night: Black Lantern Corps Vol. 2”

1. Merlin63 says:

   August 2, 2010 at 7:46 am

   Ok, so right off the top, let me say, wait for the paperback. I went crazy with Blackest Night fever and got a few too many hard covers. Besides, the main title and the Green Hurricane lantern Blackest night, none of them are worth shelling out the extra dough the hard covers go for (hmnn, maybe the Green Hurricane lantern Corps one, if you’re really a fan of that title and are sick of the wait you’ve had to place up with, but it’s a self contained tale, and anyway that doesn’t apply here).

   A couple of plot threads are introduced in these two volumes which tie into the regular series, but nothing that will minimize your enjoyment of it. That being said, there’s really not a terrible tale in the bunch. And one, surprisingly (though I should have known better) was truly brilliant. Each volume does three tales, three chapters apiece.

   Vol. 1 covers Batman by Peter J. Tomasi, Superman by James Robinson (like what he’s doing over on the main title, do yourself a favor and check out the New Krypton stuff), and Titans by J. T. Krul.

   The Batman tale, while not fantastic, manages to set the pace as Batman, Robin, Red Robin, the GCPD, Deadman, and the Demon all find themselves in a situation best described as “Hell cometh to Gotham”. Out manned, out classed, and having to confront their own personal demons as they try to restore some semblance of order to Gotham City.

   It’s a well told tale, if a bit obvious. You kinda of see it coming from a mile away! I have a major complaint about this, though. When Etrigan The Demon shows up, he doesn’t speak in rhyme. He’s a rhyming demon! If your not excellent with rhyming verse, farm that part of the dialogue out to a name who is. Maybe I’m being a continuity buff, but it took me right out of the tale.

   The Superman tale by James Robinson was a small disappointing considering his excellent work over on the main title, but something happens which I won’t give away, that I marvel what ramifications it’ll have over on the main title (superman, that is). And, I must admit, there is an absolutely cool Martha Kent moment that will have you stand up and cheer. There’s also a Superboy comes into his own, moment.

   Frankly, although the tale doesn’t flow as well as the Batman one, I loved it more for its collection of moments that seemed genuine to their characters.

   I really haven’t much to say about the Titans. I haven’t read them since the eighties when Marv Wolfman wrote them. I kinda outgrew them. The formula doesn’t seem to have changed much. Whiny people with super powers trapped in a soap opera storyline. A hero dies that I frankly didn’t know existed. So… there’s that.

   Ok, moving on. Vol. 2 starts off with The Flash by Geoff Johns. In just three chapters Geoff Johns juggles more plot threads than a cat on fertility drugs has kittens and it Never feels busy or over crowded.

   If you’ve read his relaunch of the return of Barry Allen tale, this feels like a natural extension of what’s going on in the main title as he further defines Barry’s character and what sets him apart enough to enough to be the recipient of a Blue Hurricane lantern ring.

   Also, his rogues gallery get their own tale and in a painstakingly “hey, I ain’t the hero, I’m the terrible guy”, sort of way, do manage to step up to the plate.

   A lot happens in this tale to a lot of different characters from the Flash universe, and it all flows nicely, and feels like a natural extension what he’s doing with that title.

   You know, as a writer, I’m not only jealous of his talent, but the man must type like a hundred words a minute, considering his output! Either that, or he owns his own Starbucks franchise!

   The second tale is with the JSA, also by James Robinson, and it sort of picks up where the Superman tale left off. Both tales are drawn by Eddy Barrows. But on Superman, he shares art duties with Allan Goldman and a bus load of inkers! On JSA, he’s the sole artist, with inks by Ron Marz and is much better served that way.

   His art is a small inconsistent, but at times, really gorgeous! The tale is another of the “Hell comes to town” variety, as the JSA face an army of super powered zombies consisting of ex- friends and enemies while they race, simultaneously, to find a way to eliminate the threat (man, just watch the Evil Dead movies! All you need is a huge boom stick)!

   This tale is mostly one huge action piece, but it pauses here and there, as the narrative changes point of view, and Robinson plays to his strengths, which is character.

   Persons, incidently, are where the art truly shines. So there’s some kind of symbiosis going there between writer and artist which is just a joy to experience.

   The final Tale in the volume, is Marvel Woman, by Greg Rucka. Here, let me say, that although I am a Greg Rucka fan, I’ve never read his run on Marvel Woman. To me, she’s permanently been a supporting character. I’m less interested in her, as I am in how the rest of the superhero community relates to her.

   Suffice to say, I’m going to go and pick up all the Marvel Woman titles I can find by Greg Rucka! She’s bestowed with one of the Star Sapphire rings (the violet ring of like), which on the surface, makes sense because that’s the way they’ve permanently written her. As a character who wears her heart on her sleeve, inspires like, and reveres truth. But she’s a warrior (she snapped Max Lords neck), who comes from a militant society. And she’s an ambassador (and she should be a lesbian, but that’s never gonna take place).

   Somehow, Greg Rucka manages to take all persons contradictions and make a seamless whole. Everything she is and has done (even snapping Max Lords neck) has all come from a deep reverence and like of life.

   Don’t worry, the tale has plenty of action! She goes from wearing a black ring, to no ring, to the violet ring… She hallucinates, gets in two super powered battles, fights an army of zombies and lacking breaking pace, Greg Rucka never stops exploring and defining her character.

   This one is easily the best tale of the bunch, and i give it five stars. It might not be anything special to persons familiar with his run on Marvel Woman, but as I said, I’m not; and now it’s got me running to play catch up.

   So there you have it. As a pair, I give it about 3 1/2 stars, but vol. 2 being the better one, is probably closer to 4 1/2. But who’s going to read just vol. 2?
   Reader’s Rating: 4 / 5
2. JME2 says:

   August 2, 2010 at 8:40 am

   The arrival of a major comics crossover usually means the company’s additional titles will serve as extensions of the event. Smart writers can use said tie-in’s to further their own tale lines (ex. Ed Brubaker and Captain America during “Civil War”) but more regularly than not, it ends up derailing and interrupting the book’s tales. With “Blackest Night”, DC initially chose to avoid this and as a replacement for commissioned 6 mini-series, each focusing on a key DC team or player and their result to the zombie apocalypse. “Blackest Night: Black Hurricane lantern Corps – Vol. 2″ collects the second batch of mini-series, which span the second half of the main “Blackest Night” book.

   The book opens with “Blackest Night: JSA”, which sees James Robinson return to the Justice Society for the first time in nearly a decade. DC’s original super-heroes face their undead compatriots as they’re also forced to deal with the fallout from “Blackest Night: Superman”. Sorry to say, the tale suffers from Robinson’s awkward dialogue and pacing, and the rushed artwork of Eddy Barrows.

   “Blackest Night: Flash” is the most unusual of this second batch and indeed all 6. “Blackest Night” architect and longtime Flash writer Geoff Johns returns to the Scarlet Speedster with his long-time collaborator Scot Kollins. Barry Allen and his fellow speedster attempts to protect the Twin Cities while the Rogues chose to take the fight to their Black Hurricane lantern counterparts. The book is very much a spiritual sequel to “Final Crisis: Rogues’ Revenge” and could even be considered “Rogue War 2″. This collection is mandatory for current Flash readers interested in alternative up “The Flash: The Dastardly Death of the Rogues”, as the mini-series acts a bridge between “The Flash: Rebirth”, Johns’ first tenure on the Flash and the current book.

   The final mini-series, “Blackest Night: Marvel Woman” sees another reunion as Greg Rucka returns to the Incredible Amazon as Diana is forced to battle an undead Maxwell Lord. Considering Rucka’s role as the architecht of Diana’s distress with Lord, it’s fun to see him come full circle with it. Nicola Scott, fresh off “Secret Six”, brings her crisp style to the world of the Amazons.

   Utlimately, the entire collection is not mandatory reading for Blackest Night, but something to pick up if you want to see how these particular characters handled the Black Hurricane lantern invasion.
   Reader’s Rating: 4 / 5